For the most of my life, I did not like mayonnaise. The white, slimy condiment just seemed gross and completely unappetizing. That all changed when I worked at a French restaurant here in Berkeley. That’s when I was introduced to aioli. Aioli is flavored mayonnaise but what makes it truly special is that it is handmade with fresh ingredients. Processed mayo from a jar just doesn’t compare to the real stuff. Aioli is delicious on sandwiches, in chicken salad, or as a dip for vegetables. My favorite way to enjoy aioli is as a dip for french fries.

This past weekend I went to a cookout for a friend’s birthday and I thought it was a perfect occasion to make homemade fries and garlic aioli. Aioli is quick and easy to make but this was my first attempt at making fries. I found a well-reviewed recipe at allrecipes.com and changed it up to make the fries spicy. These fries are battered like fried chicken and they turn out tender on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. The batter adds a lot of flavor; I didn’t even salt them after they were cooked. The garlic aioli was the perfect complement, adding another layer of flavor and texture. The fries were quickly eaten up, and were devoured within 10 minutes of getting to the party!

Garlic Aioli:

1/2 cup mild flavored olive oil

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the garlic as fine as possible and crush the chopped garlic with the blade of the knife. Set aside.

Whisk the egg yolk until smooth.

Slowly begin adding the oil to the yolk, whisking continuously. Begin by adding a few drops and incorporate the oil into the yolk. You must add the oil a little at a time and combine thoroughly or the oil will separate out of the aioli.

Once all of the oil is combined it will be thick and yellow. At this point slowly add the lemon juice.

Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of aioli. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Battered Fries:

2 1/2 pounds of potatoes

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup of warm water, as needed

vegetable oil for frying

Cut the potatoes into french fry sized slices. Place them in cold water while you prepare the oil and batter.

Combine the flour, salt, garlic salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Add enough warm water that the batter can be drizzled from a spoon.

In a large skillet, pour in about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and turn stove to medium heat.

Once the oil is heated, dip the fries in the batter and place one at a time into the oil. Make sure they aren’t touching or they’ll stick together.

After about four minutes, flip the fries over. Fry until they are golden and crispy.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

I lined a ceramic baking dish with paper towels and layered the fries and paper towels as they came out of the skillet. This kept them nice and hot while the rest of the fries were cooking and it absorbed all the excess oil. Since you can only fit about 10-15 fries in the skillet at a time this turned out to be pretty handy. I also had two skillets of oil frying, to speed up the process. I recommend using cast iron skillets. They heat the oil evenly plus all the oil seasons the pans nicely.

These battered fries and aioli is truly a tasty treat. Go ahead and enjoy them with a cold beer and you have a perfect cookout snack.